2020: The Year in Review

No doubt, this has been a year quite unlike any other. No matter how many times we say it, it will never become a cliché. The Covid-19 pandemic has presented a unique challenge only God would have foreknown. Nevertheless, when I weigh everything together, I have a lot more to celebrate and I look forward to 2021 with a greater hope.

Wedding Bells
On the 29^th of February, I lost some cows (figuratively). But I got something far greater in value; a wife. Before the mandatory lockdown, I paid lobola to my in-laws I a small ceremony at their parent’s home. The day itself had its ups and downs. Let no man deceive you; the negotiations can get intense on a personal level.

Time seems to slow down and alone in the world of your thoughts, it is all too easy to start fearing the worst. But looking back, all I have is joy. That was probably the best decision I made this year. Married life has brought ought the best and the worst in us, but through it all we are learning that marital bliss is a journey and not an event; a continuous commitment and not a one-time decision.

Lockdown

Around the end of March, my country announced an intense lockdown. I remember being turned back to go home at a police-stop when we wanted to go to buy groceries. It was frustrating, but that was the season. I know jobs were lost in that season, and many were not paid. And that makes even more grateful to God for my experience during that season.

Not only did I get paid at work, but I rediscovered my gift and purpose for writing. I started writing a novel and completed what to me is a staggering 15 000 words during that first month. It was more than I had written towards a book since 2016 if my memory serves me well. I have been lingering at 39000 words for a while now, but I hope to complete the book by end of March, and publish by end of August next year.

I discovered a passion for DIY and for gardening as well during the time. I built my first pallet herb garden during the time, as well as a temporary shelf during the time. Not only did I build these, but I managed to find personal clarity on what my next steps in life needed to be. Though the latter will be its own point in the review.

Clarity

I have been praying for a long time to have clarity about what I need to do next to my life. The reason being my passion for Zimbabwe is often challenged by the extreme economic conditions in the country. I am not paid what my contributions are worth and often, when I looked at what other countries offer for my role, I would be greatly pained and lose heart. In some instances, the pay is five times more what I earn here.

But I have always known that my passion is to see this nation rebuilt and come to a place of great growth and prominence. And I have always known that my future is not in a job but in job creation. And the one thing I realized was that if I leave, I will want to come back and build. This pointed out very clearly to me the one gap that I needed to immediately throw my energy towards-the building of an enterprise. And once this became clear to me, I have begun to take the necessary steps towards this with the knowledge that ultimately, this is my destiny.

Goal Setting

This year, I have grown in goal setting. I have learnt to be clear about what the end must look like, and what I must do in the present to make that happen. I have watched ted-talks, I have read books and listened to books on the matter. And still, I know I still have more to learn. But two lessons standout to me. First, the method of setting goals as objectives and key results pioneered at Intel by Andy Grove. Second, the reality that my habits create compound interest and momentum that either drive me towards or away from my goals. These two simplified the goal identification and setting process for me and come 2021, I am looking forward to achieving more of my January goals.

Loss

I lost a dear friend of mine this year, Keith Maphosa. Up to now, each time I think of it I am sad. I am sad that we never got to say goodbye. I am sad we never got to see him walk again this side of eternity-it was his dream. I am sad for the family, who lost a mother and a son within days of each other and I am sad for the many of us who found in him, a mentor, a friend and a brother. He was indeed one of the greatest men I have personally known.

In another sad loss, a relative of mine committed suicide quite recently. It was a shock to the entire family, and with the whole taboo around such topics in my culture, no one really wants to talk about it. In my mind, this brought hard questions for me as a believer-foremost of which is this: are we doing all we can as believers to reach out to the broken and hurting around us? And secondly, why are we so afraid to proclaim the power of the blood of Jesus to those who really need it?

Not only was this a hard time for me, but 2 of my closest friends lost their fathers this year and I found myself wondering How I could be a better friend at times like this. Indeed, on this end 2020 has left a mark on my heart.

Blog
I have been on and off blogging since 2016, but I feel something changed in my view towards my blog this year. If I must be honest, I just assumed in my mind one day I would wake up and the blog would miraculously have reached a million views overnight. As much as I read about planning, scaling and reaching an audience, I my mind God’s grace was just going to ‘wham-bham’ make my blog reach a million views overnight, so a lot of what I read I did not apply religiously.

But five years of blogging eventually says something. This year probably, is when I realized that it will take work on my end, and that I can do it. I had started applying some lessons on profile visibility to my LinkedIn profile, when I started seeing their fruits. My profile was getting views from all over the world, and the connection requests had started pouring in. And I reasoned in my mind ‘If applying what I am learning is working on my LinkedIn, surely it will also work on my blog.

I may not be anywhere close to a million views, but I also do see the progress. This year, my blog has more views, likes, visitors, comments than any other year before. In some cases, the hits for this year are mor than for all the other years before combined and if I must be honest, that fills me with great gratitude.

I am grateful for everyone who is following, who is reading, who is liking the posts as well as sharing them. I am grateful that I am not writing in vain, but that my words are finding an audience who see the meaning and the purpose in them. I am grateful to God who continues to inspire me to write more and gives me the grace and ability to continue doing so.

There are many things that I have not spoken about today, but that also made this a year unique  on its own. The just completed TOEFL® test, the passport I needed to renew and the muddy swamp of a yard I need to contend with now. But again, as I said earlier, on the whole I am looking forward with hope.

By the grace of my God, I will have a 2021 worth celebrating.

Selah